Photographic-plate washer



No. 608,87l. v Patented Aug. 9, I893. J. KIRKWOOD.

PHOTOGRAPH") PLATE WASHER.

(Application filed Jan. 28, 1898.)

" (No Model.)

m: norms PETERS co PHQTU-LITHQ, WASHINGTON. u c.

Nrrn rArns ATlENT rrrcn.

JOHN KIRKWOOD, OF LENOX, MASSACHUSETTS.

PHO-TOGRAPHIC-PLATE WASHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Lettersl atent No. 608,871; dated August 9, 1898. Application filed January 28, 1898. Serial No. 668,281- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHNKIRKWOOD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lenox, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatuses for Washing Photographers Plates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the class of apparatuses employed for washing or cleaning plates used in photography, the object being to produce a simple and effective device to be run bya water-wheeland capable'of being embodied in a portable form for use by amateur photographers, as Well as professionals.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical mid-section of the washing apparatus. plan of the same. verse section at m in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section at 00 in Fig. 1. Figs.-

5 and 0 are detail views, on a larger scale,

of the means for securing the adjustable rack-bars of the rotary plate rack or holder.

A represents a bath-tank, which may be of any suitable material and of any desired form and size. This tank is divided by an upright transverse partition a into two chambers z and a, one for a water-wheel B and the other for a rotatable plate rack or holder 0. The wheel B is an overshot-wheel, and it is fixed on a shaft b, which has bearings, respectively, in the end of the tank A and in the partition a. The wheel is driven from a nozzle cl, sup plied with water under pressure or head from a service-pipe D. Another branch d from the service-pipe supplies Water to the main compartment .2 of the tank, near its bottom. An outlet 1) at the bottom of the compartment .2" carries off the waste Water from said compartment, and an outlet a from the main compartment 2 of the tank carries off the waste water and sediment when this compartment is cleaned.

The rotatable rack or plate-holder 0 con- I sists oftwo heads or disk-like end pieces a c,

from each of which projects a journal 0 to carry the holder, the said heads being distanced and connected rigidly together by rods 0 In the heads 0 are mounted rackloars 0 By preference the holder 0 is made peripheries of the heads or disks.

drive or rotate the holder 0 when the latter is l in place. The interlocking construction may be effected by merely slitting the end of the shaft 1) fora short distance and providing the end of the journal 0 with a flat tongue to engage with said slit. This is the construction illustrated herein, Fig. 2, and it permits the rotatable holder to be lifted out and replaced conveniently. Fig. 2 is a Fig. 3 is a vertical trans- To adjust the rack-bars e radially in the heads 0, so'as to adapt the holder to plates of different dimensions,the said heads are herein shown as provided with radiallyarranged guide-slots e, in which are loosely guided the ends of the rack-bars, Figs. 5 and 6, each bar having on its end a screw 0 to receive a nut c for clamping the bar fast when set. In order to render one of the rack-bars wholly removable, so that the plates 19 can be inserted conveniently into the holder, the slots of one pair are open-that is, they extend out to the Of course all of the slots may be open in this manner, if desired.

The operation of the device is as follows: The plates having been set in the holder C and the latter mounted in its bearings and coupled, as explained, to the shaft of the water-wheel, the water is turned on and gradually fills the compartment cup to the overflow a in the partition a, Fig. 3, where it passes over into the compartment 5 and flows off. at the Waste-outlet b. The Water is also turned on at the nozzle cl, which sets the Water-whee1 in motion, it in turn rotating the plate-holder in the constantly-changingwater in the compartment 2. Thus the plates in the holder are rapidly and thoroughly washed.

The bearings of the shaft 1) of the water wheel need not be absolutely water-tight. The water should not accumulate in the compart ment 2, being carried off at the waste-outlet Consequently there I) as fast as it flows in.

plate-holder C may be varied to any extent Without departing from the spirit of my invention. The rack-bars, for example, may be placed in any convenient manner for hold ing one or more sets of plates. This feature will be dependent in a good degree upon the size of the apparatus and the size of the plates to be washed. All that is essential to my invention is that the holder shall rotate in the washing-water and shall have suitable racks for holding the plates, so that they may be carried around with the holder and through the water.

The particular form or arrangement of the overflow from the compartment 2 is not important, and it is not essential that the same service pipe shall supply both the waterwheel and the compartment 2.

The important advantages of the construction described are these: The washing compartnient may be kept full to the overflow without flooding the water-wheel compartment, which would of course prevent or impede the rotation of the wheel. There is also an upward flow in the washing-compartment from the inlet to the overflow. The open rack or holder permits of the free access of water to the plates and allows the plates to be inserted readily.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. A washing apparatus for photographers plates, consisting essentially of a tank having in it two separate compartments, 2 and z, a water-wheel mounted rotatively in the compartment 2, a pipe for supplying water to the water-wheel, a pipe for supplying water to the lower part of the compartment 2, and a plate-holder O, rotatively mounted in the compartment 2, said plate-holder being axially alined with the water-wheel and coupled to the shaft thereof for driving and having adjustable rack bars for holding the plates, the said compartments having outlets for the waste water, substantially as set forth.

2. A washing apparatus for photographers plates, consisting of a tank having in it two compartments, 5 and 2, arranged side by side, an open plate-holder 0, provided with rackbars and rotatively mounted in and 'readily removable from the compartment z, a waterwheel rotatively mounted in the compartment 2 and axially alined with the plate-' holder, the journals of said water-wheel and plate-holder being separably coupled together for driving, a pipe which supplies water to the water-wheel, and a pipe which supplies water to the compartment .2 at its lower part, said compartment 2' having an overflow for the waste water and said compartment 2, an outlet at its lower part for the waste water, substantially as set forth.

3. A washing apparatus for photographers plates, consisting essentially of a tank having in it two separate compartments, a water- Wheel mounted rotatively in one of said compartments and its shaft projecting into the other eompartment,an open removable,platcholder, provided with rack-bars for the plates, mounted rotativelyin the other compartment and having its axis alined with that of the water-wheel, a separable coupling connecting the shafts of the water wheel and plateholder, whereby the latter may be readily removed independently of the water-wheel, a

pipe to admit water to the water-wheel, and

a pipe to admit water to the compartment containing the plate-holder, said compartments having outlets for the waste water, substantially as set forth.

4. In an apparatus for washing photographers plates the combination, with the tank and the water-wheel for driving the plateholder, of the said holder mounted rotatively in the tank and consisting of the two heads or end pieces 0, c, the tie-rods or bars 0 which connect the heads, the rack-bars 0 mounted adjustably in radially-arranged guides in the heads, and means for securing said bars in place when they have been adjusted, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 26th day of January, 1898, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN KIRIUVOOD.

\Vitnesses:

.TAMEs A. CAMPBELL, HARRY E. KENDALL. 

